TomTom and DENSO to develop autonomous driving system

TomTom announced that it will accelerate the future of driving by collaborating with DENSO on its software platform for autonomous vehicles. TomTom’s High Definition (HD) Map will work in combination with DENSO in-vehicle sensors such as cameras and radars to power the localization, perception and path planning functions for a complete autonomous driving system.

This collaboration will allow DENSO to offer a market-leading system targeting Level 2 automation for highways and major urban roads, by leveraging the end-to-end mapping system developed together with TomTom. Combining DENSO’s sensors with TomTom HD Maps will result in a system that is more advanced, more reliable and safer. TomTom and DENSO have teams working together in Japan.

As part of this agreement, DENSO will provide processed sensor data to TomTom’s end-to-end mapping system for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), updating TomTom’s HD Map on the fly. This will be achieved by generating crowdsourced map updates called Roadagrams which are used to ensure the HD Map reflects the reality of the road. Combined with sensor data from survey vehicles, TomTom can guarantee an accurate global HD Map. AutoStream – TomTom’s innovative map delivery system – then delivers the latest map data to the vehicles on demand.

Harold Goddijn, CEO, TomTom, said: “DENSO is a long-time leader in automotive ADAS technology. We’re proud to be working with them to serve their Japanese and global customers. This collaboration proves the value of the TomTom HD Map and TomTom AutoStream as critical components for autonomous vehicles.”

Hiroyuki Wakabayashi, Executive Vice President, DENSO, said: “We reviewed various digital mapping platforms and determined that the TomTom HD Map and TomTom AutoStream reflect our vision of bringing changes in the road noted by our sensors back to all vehicles as quickly as possible through HD Map updates. Just as importantly, TomTom shares our commitment to safety that is paramount to the autonomous driving experience. Together, we will lead the industry with innovative solutions for all OEMs.”